Where Soul Meets Body
by ginsengandhoney
Summary: Her father used to tell her that "The greatest romances are the ones that surprise you and shake you at your core 'til you can't remember how you lived life before them." Needless to say, Rachel Berry never settled for less than great.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Please enjoy and note that I do not profit from this piece of fan fiction.

* * *

Rachel found herself a little lost as she woke up to her childhood bedroom. The glow-in-the-dark stars that she and her dads tacked to the ceiling during middle school were staring down at her and it put her at ease as she settled into her fluffy bed.

This was, admittedly, not what she saw herself doing a few months ago. A fleeting thought of a summer in Europe crossed her mind and she ignored it.

She sighed as she slowly sat up, rolling her eyes almost affectionately as she saw a small pile of stuffed animals had been pushed to the ground in her haste to get to bed the night prior. It would figure that her doting dad's hadn't thrown a single thing away (even though they had definitely joked about doing so before she left).

As she moved quietly about the room, feeling almost spoiled with the amount of space she was afforded after being in a cramped apartment for so long. She found it strange to think that she hadn't been home in a year. Needless to say, Mr. and Mr. Berry were ecstatic when she called them two weeks earlier.

"Rachel, breakfast!"

She flashed herself a goofy grin in the mirror as her stomach seemed to growl at the idea of a true blue home cooked meal. Almost instantly, her grin faltered and she lifted her slightly oversized shirt to see a still flat belly. Before she could process her thoughts, her stomach rumbled again as she could smell the vegan bacon being cooked downstairs. She touched the exposed skin lightly, almost timidly, before quickly pulling her shirt back down.

_Not right now_.

LeRoy glanced up at his daughter and a smile burst out on his face before he could control it. While neither he nor his loving husband knew who biologically fathered the future starlet, he couldn't help but think that she looked so much like Hiram when she lazily strolled past him and to the plate of food waiting for her on the kitchen island. He winked as she stole a piece of bacon from his missing husband's plate, earning a smile and a kiss to his temple in thanks.

"I trust you slept well, dear?"

She hummed affirmatively and he smiled again. Much had changed in his Rachel since she'd taken the train to the big apple four years ago. She'd struggled her first year, fighting the good fight for any performance that would get her seen as the star she was. He remembered how white Hiram's knuckles would get as they would try to calm her down after so many rejections. While Hiram liked to imagine himself as the level headed realist, the soft spot that held space for one dramatic Rachel Berry had him frothing at the mouth when Rachel didn't because an overnight sensation.

Things changed, as time went on and they found that the hysterical phone calls slowly began to fade out to the wonderful long winded ones where she described the grave importance of her one-liners. While he would never express this out loud, he was happy for the rejections that his star had received at first. For over time, they began to hear a new determination in her voice one that sounded less entitled and expectant and more hungry and mature.

They cried like babies when they flew up to see her take a bow as the leading lady in the last two major school productions of her college career. Center stage, just as she dreamed, in the one and only New York City and enjoying every moment of it.

She was no longer the starry eyed spoiled sixteen year old with no filter and an upsetting lack of friends.

She was a woman, a very talented and strong woman that had blossomed away from the shelter that they'd built for her and it made him ridiculously proud.

"Earth to LeRoy, your daughter and your husband await you stage left."

The familiar drawl made him snap out of his current thoughts and he rolled his eyes (much as Rachel had done earlier) as two pairs of dark brown eyes watched him with thinly veiled amusement.

It was something that Rachel missed, the interaction between her two fathers (both still so much in love after all these years).

"So what are your plans for today sweetheart? Your dad and I both have to go into work, unfortunately, but we'll be home in time for dinner."

Rachel cocked her head to the side, looking off at nothing before shrugging her shoulders for a moment before a spark came to her eyes.

"I told Kurt and Blaine I'd meet them tonight for a dinner/lunch sort of appointment. Which reminds me, can I borrow the car, Dad?"

Hiram scoffed, sticking his thumb in the direction of the garage.

"What about the red jalopy sitting out front and bringing down the value of the house?"

Rachel narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips together so as not to give in to a smile.

"I'll have you know that if it weren't for Maureen, I wouldn't have been able to visit! Besides Daddy, every artist worth their weight needs to have a starving artist moment before they are driven around New York in their private black sedans."

It was time for the eye rolling to go full circle as Hiram did so with a grin.

"We offered to buy you a car, remember?"

Rachel crossed her arms, a smirk on her face as she did so.

"I would love it ten times less and my professional profile would suffer for it."

LeRoy grinned behind his magazine article as he silently enjoyed the familiar and strongly missed banter that filled the quiet kitchen.

Their star was home.

* * *

Rachel's fingers drummed along the leather steering wheel as she enjoyed one of the universally wonderful feelings in the world: Air conditioning on a summer day.

For what wasn't the first time, she thought maybe she should have reconsidered letting her dad's buy her a car. As much as she loved Maureen (her old red Beetle aptly named for Maureen O'Hara) it was just hot enough to make her want to pout her way into a nice new ride. She drove through the town with ease – nothing really changed in Lima over the past four years or even the past decade, really. She was pleasantly surprised to see a new, albeit small, shopping center had been built while she was away.

_"I'll teach you the proper poise, when you talk to boys…"_

Trust her dad to put up a "fight" about her using the Lexus when he already changed all of the CD's to her favorite Broadway mixes.

She had been driving for a while, without a purpose if she was being honest, when she found herself stopping in front of McKinley High. School was out for session but there were a few cars in the parking lot. Curious and a little bored, she turn into the empty parking lot and paused for a moment before deciding what she should do next. Deciding against a debate, she put the car in park and stepped out to the school that housed a plethora of memories that seemed to be both "so long ago" and "just yesterday" at the same time.

"_**PA-THE-TIC**_! I've trained donkeys in Mexico to do handstands better than that!"

Rachel stilled for a moment as the familiar cackle resonated throughout the field, and smoothed her short but tasteful floral skirt before continuing around the corner to the field. Four years later and Sue Sylvester could probably still insult her into absolute silence.

She walked onto the bleachers, watching as girls she'd never seen before were jumping, flipping and flying into the air with relative ease. For some reason, they looked so…young and naïve to her. She remembered sitting down on the exact bench she was currently on, breaking up with Puck because she was so obviously smitten with Finn, and he so obviously into Quinn.

Things had changed since that short lived relationship between herself and the mohawk having rebel. Puck was living with her mother over in Venice Beach where she was currently holding down a private dance and music instructor position. It was an odd thing to receive their ridiculously picturesque Hanukah card that first year but the trio looked so happy that she couldn't help but stare at it almost enviously her freshman year. She doesn't like to think of the fact that she's made out with her mother's boyfriend. When others saw the picture on her cork board and asked her about the age difference, she'd just shrug and change the subject.

The football team was beginning to set up for summer practice and Rachel wondered idly which one of them is the "Finn" of the group, if there even was one.

_Finn Hudson..._

Thinking of Finn was always something of a sore subject for her. Last she heard from Kurt, he had just ended his four years in the military and had plans on going to go to school to be an athletic trainer. She went back to Lima that first year to visit him after he returned from basic training and things were different or rather, **_they_** were different. He promised he'd visit her in New York and they kissed and held one another during that short reunion. Two years of e-mails and phone calls and a tour overseas that nearly wrecked her all ended when he told her that he'd met a girl at his new station in North Carolina.

Six months ago, Kurt called her in his angry diva mode and let her know that against his advice, Finn would be sending her an invitation to his wedding. She hadn't cried over the break up at that point (which was unlike her, really, and that alone spoke volumes) and it wasn't until she got an eggshell and pale pink envelope telling her she was "cordially invited" that the dam broke after a year and a half of not dropping a single tear.

"You're going to burn out here if you aren't careful."

Rachel turned her head, as the figure stood above her, and was forced to shield her eyes from the sun as she looked up. It wasn't as if she needed to really look at them to know who it was, she'd know that voice anywhere, but she wanted to be sure.

Quinn Fabray looked very much the same and yet completely different. Her blonde hair was tied in an elegant fishtail braid that lay on her shoulders and her bangs hung lazily, framing her face just right while runaway wisps of hair were being held back by Ray-Bans that sat atop her crown. She wore a sleeveless dress that made her look almost ethereal as the hem danced in the wind just above her knees. Twenty two was hardly a gap from high school that made you look much older but Quinn looked a combination of youth and maturity that she envied in that moment.

"Quinn." Rachel said simply, not moving from her seat but not moving away as Quinn sat next to her.

She earned a small smirk in return and Rachel found herself grinning dumbly before turning to look back at the jumping Cherrio's and the football boys that were setting up shop. She could feel Quinn shift next to her and nudge her gently. Rachel gave her a confused look only to give in to a little laugh at the roll-on tube of sunscreen wrapped in slender fingers.

"Thanks." Her voice sounded almost bashful, and she tried to ignore the flush in her cheeks as her fingers grazed the ex-cheerleader's.

She hated how sunscreen of any kind left a sticky sort of film on her skin but as she rolled on the cool stick, she appreciated the fact that she wouldn't be nursing blotchy lobster colored skin. It made her heart beat faster as she turned her head to see Quinn was watching her lather up her skin with unabashed interest. She averted her eyes and it felt like high school again when Quinn would glare her down on her way to class – only this time Quinn looked so… interested… in her and it wasn't high school any more.

"This is the first time I've seen you in Lima since graduation." Rachel told her quietly.

She'd seen everyone from the original Glee club over the summer and winter holidays and everyone reunited to perform (sans Finn who was on his tour at the time) for Mr. Shue's and Ms. Pilsbury's wedding.

Quinn was the only missing piece and maybe it wasn't a big deal to the others like Artie or Tina but it always left her wondering about the blonde and where she would be at that moment. She felt Quinn shift next to her and the hot bleachers creaked only slightly as the she leaned back on her elbows. Rachel changed another look at her and found her eyes traveled up Quinn's legs as her dress hiked up a bit to reveal light colored thighs. When she hung her head back, soaking up the sun, she couldn't help but think that Quinn looked like an elegant Lolita sprawled out so aloof.

_Necks like those are troublesome_, Rachel concluded as her mouth went a little dry.

"Probably because this is the first time I've been to Lima since graduation."

The statement caused her to raise her eyebrows a little and when the corner of Quinn's lips raised into a sly sort of smile, she knew it was because she was watching her behind the Ray-Bans that she'd slipped on.

"Did you just get into town?" Rachel asked (all the while thinking _"Where have you been?"_)_  
_

"No, I've been here for a week."

"Oh."

There was a silence between them though not an uncomfortable one as Rachel turned back to see Sue and an assistant coach (that looked a lot like Becky from afar) were rounding up the girls and sending them to the locker rooms. A toddler suddenly ran onto the field and Quinn's smile raised considerably as the hard-as-nails inappropriate and infamous Sue Sylvester threw the girl into the air before spinning around with a large smile on her face. Rachel couldn't help but think of how big Jean had gotten in the year since she'd been away.

"Who would have thought Coach Sylvester could even smile like that?" Rachel said, not bothering to hide the sigh in her voice as she watched the mother and daughter from a distance. She earned a hum in return, one very much similar to the one she'd given her father over breakfast.

The bleachers squeaked again and this time it was because Quinn was standing up and dusting off her dress. Rachel watched her ashamed of the groan of protest that nearly escaped her throat.

_You're leaving? Why did you come back after so long? Why did you stay away? Can I see you again?_

So many questions burned in her that she found herself wholly disappointed when she ended up saying…

"It was nice to see you again, Quinn. It's been a really long time."

She could see the slight shadow of Quinn's eyes through the dark glasses and wondered why it felt as if the blond was looking right through her.

"It was nice to see you too, Rachel."

Just like that, she was walking away and Rachel sat watching her until she turned the corner and disappeared on her way to the school parking lot. Suddenly the heat felt stifling and any nostalgia that she was feeling was replaced by itching curiosity for the mysterious woman that left her sitting there.

The clouds rolling in began looking a little gray and the aspiring Broadway star had no interest in looking like a wet rat anytime soon. Standing up and smoothing out the back of her skirt, she realized she'd been gripping the small tube of roll on sun screen and mumbled "shit" under her breath as she began a little jog over to the parking lot to see if she could catch up with Quinn.

As she rounded the corner, she found no sign of where Quinn might've gone off to and sighed, more disappointed than she cared to admit.

Taking the keys from her purse and tucking the sunscreen away, she made her over to her dad's car. Her eyebrows raised a little as a note had been tacked under the windshield wiper. She stopped cold, not forgetting that once upon a time she'd get little notes sent to her that said things like "Get sterilized" or "Lima Loser" tacked onto her locker or coincidentally, under her car windshield wiper. She shook her head of the memories. _ This isn't high school_, she told herself before squaring her shoulders and gently pulling the offending piece of paper.

A phone number and a Quinn Fabray signature underneath it stared back at her.

She was sure that somewhere out there was the right song that express how completely elated she felt and how she had no idea why.

* * *

Rachel began to debate internally on whether being the third wheel was worse than being the fifth wheel. It was her first day back and already she missed the constant buzz of the city. Not to say that she didn't absolutely love reuniting with her former Glee-clubbers, but "couples friends" were "couples friends" and single friends were single friends and that's really all there was to that. She went out to dinner with Kurt and Blaine often, especially seeing as Kurt and Blaine both resided in New York, so she was used to having to fill in certain gaps in conversation because they would get wrapped up in one another. Tina and Mike, mixed in with Blaine and Kurt made her feel just awkward enough to want to fake sick and go home to watch a New Girl marathon.

In fact she wanted nothing more than to go home and stare at the little slip of paper that was currently sitting on her vanity...and maybe get away from the overwhelming smell of garlic.

"Have you heard that Quinn is town?"

The question made her perk up just enough that she had to bite the inside of her cheek as not to look overly interested in the conversation. Blaine raised a well groomed eyebrow at her for a moment only to be distracted by Kurt's signature squeal at the news.

"The Queen Bee has returned, hmm?" Kurt quipped in that gossipy way that made him sound so much like he did in high school.

"I saw her at the supermarket with her sister Frannie. I don't think she'll be in town much longer though, I think she's only here because her sister is about to have a baby." Tina told them.

Rachel frowned slightly, thinking back to the fact that there was no older sister in sight when Quinn was in the hospital after Regionals.

"Do you think she's really going to Finn's wedding on Saturday?" Blaine asked Kurt, looking over at Rachel as he did.

Not a second later the table watched as he dramatically covered his mouth looking as if he'd said the taboo word of the evening. Kurt glared at him icily, giving him an elbow in the side as everyone was suddenly very aware of Rachel's existence on the table.

"I'm well aware that Finn is getting married on Saturday, I'm not going to fall to pieces." She told them confidently, trying not to roll her eyes childishly as four pairs of eyes watched her carefully.

"I'm sure Quinn's not going to break down either, if she does go to the wedding. It's been a two years for me and even longer for her."

The reminder of the time lost between the past relationship and the present time seemed to have no bearing on the group in front of her and she was on the receiving end of the same pitying glances that she got when she returned home two summers ago after it all happened.

"In fact, in light of this new information, I think I'll do something with Quinn that night if she's still in town. That is, to say, if she decides against going."

If she could have pulled the words out of the air as they came out of her mouth, she would have. Why in the world would she say something like that? What would possibly possess her to commit to an evening out with Quinn Fabray after a strange chance encounter at the McKinley High bleachers?

It was Tina's laugh that pulled her out of her mental chastising and Kurt's accompanying laugh that made her furrow her brow at them.

"Rachel, no offense, but you and Quinn Fabray hanging out on a Saturday night sounds a little ridiculous." Tina said, not meaning to be hurtful but succeeding all the same. Kurt's nod of agreement made her feel suddenly as if she were in high school again_._

"Rach, time may have passed and we may have all sang our Kumbaya's four years ago but Quinn Fabray is and will always be Quinn Fabray and you'll always be Rachel Berry, the girl that wanted to get married while she was in high school."

"Kurt!" Blaine chastised, looking over at Rachel before returning a slightly less icy glare.

She and Kurt had been friends for a long time. When Blaine got into Julliard, Kurt followed him to New York to an amazing Arts Academy that specialized in fashion design. They were her biggest cheerleaders and she was there for them equally. While Rachel could begrudgingly admit that she was a pain in the ass diva when it suited her it didn't change the fact that there were times when Kurt could be downright cruel.

"_The reject within the rejects" _was the phrase he and Mercedes had coined just for her back then. There were just some things that a person never really got over, she mused.

A sudden rolling sensation went through her body and it took all of her strength not to blow chunks over the table and ruin the evening. She waited a good enough period of time (once the conversation shifted to Kurt's fashion internship) to excuse herself with the reason being that she wasn't feeling well.

At least it wasn't a lie by the time she left.

She threw up three streets away from her parent's house.

* * *

The little piece of paper was crumpled by the time the daunting sound of a dial tone hit her ears. She'd debated whether or not to call at all.

Of course, once she convinced herself that she was going to call, she practiced saying "Hello" for an hour.

She held onto the rotary style telephone that she demanded from her father's her freshman year of high school and messed up three times before her shaky fingers got the number right.

It rang three times and Rachel was about to hang up so that she didn't seem desperate when it was picked up.

"Jeanie, you know it's time for bed."

It was Quinn, and she hadn't said "Hello" yet but Rachel was almost enchanted by hearing her voice sound so light and playful. Before yesterday, she hadn't heard at all from Quinn, and had forgot completely how lovely her voice sounded when it wasn't snarling snide remarks at you. She shook her head for a moment, what in the world was the matter with her?

"Hello?" The voice on the other end asked finally, seeming less distracted, even if only just.

"Qu-Quinn?" She stammered, feeling her face grow warm against the receiver.

"Rachel."

It wasn't a question and it was said so softly that Rachel almost breathed a sigh aloud.

"Yes."

Monosyllabic was not Rachel Berry's style but with her heart pounding in her ears she felt she owed it to herself not to say anything that might warrant embarrassment and maybe even a trip back to her therapist after four years of being free of one.

"You called." Again, her response was soft and if Rachel was daring, she'd say it sounded relieved.

"You gave me your number." Rachel told her quietly, sitting on the bed and twirling the cord around her fingers as she waited for Quinn's response.

"I – uh – hold on." She could hear a small muffled whine on the other end of the phone as Quinn seemed to kindly but sternly hold her ground again a small child.

"No, no, little missy. It's time for bed, go on." A muffled sound of a door being shut was heard over the line and Rachel didn't realize that she was smiling until she caught her reflection in the mirror.

"Rachel?"

"I'm here." She replied.

"Sorry about that. I'm babysitting a tired but reluctant-to-sleep toddler."

It was such a casual statement but it added another pile of questions to Rachel's already mental checklist in concern for Quinn Fabray. It went against all of her natural tendencies not to interrogate someone the second she felt the slightest desire to but for some reason unknown to her, she didn't want to scare her off.

"Jean Sylvester?" Rachel asked, trying to appear casual when she was eager for Quinn to answer so she could ask another question.

"Yes." Quinn answered simply, a hint of humor in her tone.

"That's nice of you. Is that why you were at the field today?"

Rachel earned a small laugh in return and it bothered her that it made her catch her breath a little. It wasn't at all the mocking tone she remembered, or even the sad laugh that she knew Quinn had used around her so long ago.

"I bet there's a lot going on in that Rachel Berry brain isn't there?" Even though it was said kindly, huskily even, Rachel found herself ducking her head bashfully.

"Did you know that Finn is getting married on Saturday?" Quinn asked her suddenly, sounding curious.

Rachel bit the inside of her cheek, wondering how much Quinn knew about the history she and Finn shared after the graduation caps were thrown into the air.

"I was blessed enough to receive an invitation in New York and one in Lima. Apparently, my presence was desired and although I understand the effect I have on others, I don't know why he thought I would attend." She told her quietly, sounding a little more irritated by the fact than she would have liked. A soft but not unlovely snort was heard through the phone and it made her grin goofily that Quinn was laughing with her and not at her.

"My mother R.S.V.P'd on my behalf, unfortunately." Her voice was so uncaring that there was no other word for it but…cool.

"I would have died." Rachel proclaimed dramatically, falling back on her bed while her hand and toes wrapped up in the long coiled phone cord.

"Sue's here." Quinn announced, an air of dismissal in her tone that announced it was time to go without her saying as much.

_But we just started talking! _She wanted to say but was no where near desperate enough to.

"Ok." Rachel told her flatly, trying not to sound disappointed and wondering where these feelings were coming from.

"There's a diner right outside of Lima, it's open twenty-four hours…" She trailed off, sounding unsure of herself for the first time in the conversation and Rachel found herself twisting her hair and the phone cord as she lay on the bed waiting for the end of the question to come.

"I have my sister's car." She finished lamely, sounding disappointed with herself even as she said it.

"Do you remember where I live?" Rachel asked quickly, closing her eyes and shaking her head at how eager she came off. There was a small (she daresay 'flirty') chuckle on the other end of the phone - one Rachel distinctly remembered hearing whenever she spoke to Sam and Puck.

"I'll be there in an hour. I have to go." Quinn covered the receiver but Rachel could hear the familiar but strangely gentle voice of Sue Sylvester in the background.

"Ok, I'll see you soon." Rachel told her, listening to the muffled tones for a moment and wondering if Quinn had heard her.

"Soon." Quinn said finally, pausing for a moment before Rachel accidentally gripped onto the dialing platform and hung up. She nearly choked herself as she flew up quickly only to be trapped down by the long cord currently wrapped around her entire body.

"Quinn? Hello? Shit!" She hissed, slamming the phone down a little harder than necessary after hearing the blaring dial tone reach her ears.

She detangled herself as quickly as she could, muttering curse words along the way and fighting aloud with herself whether or not she should call back.

_Surely Quinn will still show up… _Her slowly dying confidence told her.

…_even though I HUNG UP ON HER! _Her quickly conquering insecurities yelled right back.

Her brown eyes glared at the phone for a little while longer before stomping over to the mirror, nearly crying out as she looked at how blotchy her skin appeared from being in the sun and being sick earlier. Childishly, she stamped her foot as she pinched her cheeks and began dabbing on a little blush. There was no way she wanted to be caught looking like a sunburned zombie when Quinn picked her up.

Caught up in her ramblings, she failed to notice that her door creaked open and her dad was watching her with a look torn between concern and amusement.

"Rachel Barbra…" LeRoy called out, a sing-song tone in his voice as he made his presence known.

He was rewarded with a sudden and surprised spin that ended with a semi-annoyed huff as she stumbled a little on her own feet. She narrowed her eyes at him as he hid an amused smile behind his hand, slipping his reading glasses off of his face.

"Yes, Daddy?" Rachel asked distractedly, walking away from vanity and towards the walk in closet that she prayed had something for her to wear.

"Is everything alright? Your father and I heard your giant stomping from down the hall."

Rachel popped her head out from the closet to shoot a glare as her dad's eyes were sparkling from the humor he found in her current situation, sounding not the least bit concerned but rather curious.

"I don't stomp, Daddy." She protested strongly, going back to her business in the closet.

"Of course not, darling." LeRoy told her in a sugar sweet way that earned him an unhappy huff from the closet. Rachel seemed to be dead set on getting redressed and primped after claiming she was feeling ill from the _'change in climate'_ not more than an two hours ago.

"Going out? Or should we prepared the old stage in the basement for an impromptu show of The Dancing King Kong? I assume the stomping was for that purpose." LeRoy asked playfully, grinning even wider as he could practically feel Rachel's face grow red from embarrassment.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!" Rachel yelled out, causing LeRoy to feel a bit put out. She was calling in the reinforcements.

"Oh come now… I was just teasing." LeRoy grumbled, rolling his eyes as his child popped her head out and stuck her tongue out at him.

Almost instantly, Hiram was standing in the door frame.

"You rang?" Hiram asked, his book forgotten as he smirked at the dramatic stand off pose his daughter currently took up.

"Please tell him that I do not stomp! A ballerina of my talent does not stomp!" Rachel told him pointing her finger accusingly at LeRoy, who simply barked a laugh at her. Hiram opened his mouth and closed it, taking just a second too long to answer as Rachel threw her arms up dramatically.

"I'm going out and I will be sure not to trample on any small villages tonight! Although I'll be sure to make as much noise as I can when I come in!" She grumbled, ignoring their presence as she determined just what to wear.

"Rachel, darling, you have no clothes in that closet. You don't live here anymore." Hiram reminded her patiently, watching as she seemed to realize that she was looking at articles of clothing that were from her senior year of high school. She made a strangled noise and practically sprinted across the room to where her suitcase was parked.

Hiram shook his head at LeRoy, but a smile stayed on his face as he did. Motioning for them to take their leave, LeRoy slipped his arm around his husbands waist, both calling out a "Love you" and "Be safe" as they quietly closed the door behind them.

"Someone is going out on a date." LeRoy whispered conspiratorially, earning an eye roll in return.

"She's only here for a week, who could she possibly be going out on a date with."

* * *

A/N - I do hope you enjoyed it. Please review as I look forward to hearing any critique that could possibly improve this story. Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N - Thank you all very much for the amazing reviews I received for Chapter One. Please enjoy chapter two!_

* * *

Standing in front of the mirror in the foyer, Rachel cocked her head side to side as she moved the thin oversized tan mesh sweater once more. Kurt would have been able to tell her what showing your left shoulder rather than your right meant but she wasn't about to call him to ask. She'd settled on an outfit with five minutes to spare and was pleased that her choice. She mussed her bangs only to quickly smooth them out with the emergency mini hairbrush she kept in her purse at all times – a girl never knew when she would catch her next big break and she wouldn't dare introduce herself to a major playwright with her hair looking as if she'd stepped out of the eighties.

Slipping the brush back into her small purse, Rachel stared at herself in the mirror for a moment. She thought of how different Quinn looked when she saw her earlier and wondered what the blond thought of her during their encounter. Rachel had changed physically and it now more than ever that she wondered if a certain someone noticed.

She'd grown a little, just about an inch, but still an important inch. The acne that forced her to use make-up and ProActiv to hide had finally died down to little breakouts when she was on her period. Her hair was longer and seemed to have gotten thicker, in her opinion, but she didn't complain as it curled past her shoulders. Although the mesh sweater she wore gave her modest cover, Rachel was proud to say that her bust had grown just enough so that she no longer felt the need for padded bras.

She brushed an imaginary piece of lint off of her skinny jeans and laughed a little at how silly she was being.

"This isn't a date, Rachel." She whispered to her reflection, not knowing at all where the overwhelming case of nerves was coming from. She hadn't felt this nervous in a long time and she had performed in front of masses of New Yorkers not more than a month ago.

It wasn't because she wouldn't date a girl, no, she'd done that. Her second month post-Finn was when she met Lydia. Lydia was a child of theatrics not unlike herself that she'd barely known before checking off both 'one-night stand' and 'kissing a girl' in the same night. She continued to dip her pen in both inks, so to speak, after that night and it only brought more evidence to the case that sexuality is fluid (not that she'd run around shouting – or rather singing – it atop the rooftops).

So, no, it was _not_ a date simply because Quinn Fabray was female. It was _NOT_ a date because she was Quinn Fabray the former president and founder of the Mckinley High School Celibacy Club, the Christian ex-cheerleader whose daughter was living with Rachel's mother and their shared ex-boyfriend. If that wasn't reason enough, well…

Rachel closed her eyes as she thought of what Kurt had said at Breadstix. _"__Quinn Fabray is and will always be Quinn Fabray and you'll always be Rachel Berry, the girl that wanted to get married while she was in high school."_

"Besides…" Rachel practically whispered to herself, wrapping her arms around her mid-section. "You have too many things to worry about right now."

"Did you say something, Rachel?"

Her dad's voice startled her and she found herself nearly stumbling over her feet in the same fashion that she had earlier. In her opinion, her fathers enjoyed tip toeing around the house until the moment came for them to suddenly startle her. Hiram stood in his pajamas at the top of the stairs and Rachel found herself unreasonably emotion over the fact that her dad still got his husband a nightly cup of tea before retiring to their bedroom.

"Oh, it's nothing Daddy." Rachel told him with a smile, sliding her hands away from her mid-section.

He looked as if he wanted to say something to her and before an unsettled nervousness could set in, he simply smiled back at her.

"Your friend has been outside for the past five minutes and I think they're walking to the-"

He watched as Rachel's eyes went wide and she spun around calling out some unintelligible form of goodbye before hurrying over to the door and nearly slamming it closed behind her before he could see anyone .

"Door." He muttered to himself, craning his neck to see through the window above the door. A frown graced his features as he didn't recognize the car as belonging to any one of Rachel's known friends.

There was a yelp and then two very feminine laughs not a few moments later that not only made him smile but also made him let out a sigh of relief that he hadn't realized he was holding. He thought for a moment that she might secretly meet up with a certain ex-football captain and although it had been over for some time, he certainly didn't want it to start up again.

* * *

Just as she had closed the door, Rachel realized all too quickly that Quinn was at that same time, about to knock on her door. She jumped back instantly, her hands flying up to grip her chest dramatically as she let out a small yell. Quinn stepped back as well, her eyes wide as she seemed to be as equally surprised. Rachel watched, as the woman in front of her began to smile. The ex-Cherrio lifted her hands up in a mock "Don't shoot" sort of way and without realizing it, Rachel let out a laugh that Quinn joined in on.

"Sorry about that." Rachel told her, still chuckling between words.

Quinn shook her head lightly, a smirk playing on her lips as she dropped her hands.

"It's alright." Quinn assured her and Rachel was sure that a pair of hazel eyes very quickly raked over her before settling on her face.

There was a slightly odd silence as they stood at her front door, unsure of what to say to one another at that moment. The aspiring Broadway star wanted to kick herself as she saw Quinn was still wearing the white dress now adorned with a cropped jean jacket.

Quinn opened her mouth only to close it afterward and nod in the direction of the silver BMW parked in front of her house.

"I wasn't sure if you were going to say yes." Quinn admitted quietly before squaring her shoulders and turning towards the car. Rachel stayed where she was, watching Quinn walk away for the second time that day. She found herself following behind her, giving her a beaming smile as Quinn opened the door for her, and murmured a quick 'thank you' as she slid onto the black leather seats.

Rachel took the small amount of time for Quinn to walk around to the driver's side as an opportunity to take in as much as she could without being under the enchanted spell of Quinn's presence. The car was pristine, as if it were brand new, and a pink and black polka dotted baby seat sat in the back. On the driver's side was a metal clip on the visor that said "God Bless Sisters" with a crisp picture of Quinn and her sister at what looked like graduation day at Yale under it.

The door opened and Rachel felt calmed by the enticing smell of cucumber melon as Quinn slid into the car.

Pulling out of the driveway, Rachel made a face at the unexpected sound of the "What to Expect When You're Expecting" audio book that began to play.

"Fran's listening to it for the hundredth time. The radio stations that Lima catches are a little lame so I just left it on." Quinn told her sheepishly, her eyes on the road.

Rachel nodded, feeling as if she were going to throw up again as she listened to the calm drone of the voice on speaker. The second the sensation came to her, however, she mentally stomped on it. There would be absolutely no vomiting in front of Quinn freaking Fabray.

"So, it's true then? You're only here because your sister is having a baby?" The words spilled out before she could contain them and she closed her eyes at how gossipy she sounded. She was pleasantly surprised when a smile broke out on Quinn's face, followed by a light laugh.

"News gets around as fast as ever in Lima." She commented.

"Tina said she saw you and your sister at the supermarket…" Rachel admitted, watching out for the other girl's changes in facial expressions.

"Yet she couldn't be bothered to say hello." Quinn muttered, sighing tiredly as they arrived at the stop sign.

"That's very rude." Rachel offered, earning another small laugh in return.

"She's right though. Fran's husband does P.R. work for a politician in Washington D.C. and had to fly to Chicago right after my graduation. My sister was going to take the train from New Haven to Lima while my brother-in-law drove down afterward. But because of his impromptu trip...well…here I am…" She trailed off and Rachel could help but be glad that there was no one else to drive from Connecticut to Ohio.

"What kept you away for so long?" Rachel asked her, forgetting the pretense of being subtle.

Her hands gripped the steering wheel a little harder and Rachel undoubtedly caught the glance that Quinn shot her way before speaking up.

"When do you go back to New York?" She asked, changing the subject.

Now that the spotlight was on her it was Rachel's turn to clam up, quickly turning her head away and looking out the window. That sick feeling was starting to be overwhelming and although she'd gotten enough sleep the night before, she felt ridiculously tired.

"Next week was my expected date but...well... you see, I was sharing an apartment with a fellow student but he's going to Europe with for the summer. They have this really great opportunity to perform in a bunch of different parts of the continent." She tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice but wasn't sure she really succeeded.

"A lot has changed." Quinn said suddenly, causing Rachel to turn her back in the blonde's direction. Quinn chanced a look at her, a uncharacteristically goofy grin on her face before turning back to watch the road.

"Rachel Berry living with a hot blooded male and hasn't sang one song in the past five minutes to confess her love for him."

It was a playful remark, missing any of the vindictive bite that a high school Cherrio would have added to make it sound like an insult. Rachel pursed her lips to keep from smiling and the longer she stayed silent the more she wanted to laugh.

"It's hard to sing a love song to someone who is about as openly gay as Kurt and Blaine. AND...I'll have you know that you would feel honored to get a love song from me." Rachel shot back, well aware of how flirtatious it sounded.

"I'm sure I would have been." Quinn told her smoothly, a cheeky upturn to her pink lips as she said so.

Quinn glanced at her once more before Rachel finally allowed herself to laugh. The brunette appreciated the fact that Quinn didn't pry and for that reason alone, she decided she wouldn't pry either – at least for now.

They continued like that for a half hour, making small jokes and enjoying the pleasant company. Rachel was relieved after spending half of the trip listening to "What to Expect…" she was able to figure out the complicated interface on the touch screen. She was surprised suddenly when a lovely a cappella group filled the airwaves around her. Quinn quickly reached over, trying to change it as she seemed to realize what was being played.

Rachel instantly swatted her hand away.

"Eyes on the road." She chastised, closing her eyes to the quiet sound of a guitar playing.

There was something about music that made life easier to live, at least, in Rachel's mind. She remembered the first time she heard "Don't Rain on My Parade" she felt as if the words wrapped around her and the voice behind it had reached down and said "wake up, little girl and shine already."

It had been so long since she'd felt that way about something. The critic in her could begrudgingly admit that while she was twice the leading lady during her last year at NYADA, it didn't feel at all as spectacular as it did the moment she did as she belted out "It's All Coming Back to Me Now."

_"See, I'm trying to find my place_  
_But it might not be here where I feel safe_  
_We all learn to make mistakes_

_And run from them_  
_From them_  
_With no direction…"_

She recognized the Paramore song instantly but was thrown by just how haunted it sounded coming from Quinn. It was as if she was listening to the blond drenching each lyric with absolute understanding of the song and for the first time in ages she felt connected to a piece of music. Quinn's hands gripped the steering wheel and Rachel wanted nothing more in that moment than to reach over and smooth away the tension in her fingers.

"You're remarkably talented." Rachel complimented her shyly.

Quinn's stance was unmoved by the comment and before thinking on it any longer, Rachel reached over to graze her fingers against Quinn's wrist before covering her hand. She said nothing as the car came to a slow stop in the middle of the silent street and she watched as Quinn looked down at their hands with wide eyes, her chest rising and falling heavily as it seemed she was trying to calm her nerves.

"I-" Rachel gently squeezed the hand that gripped the steering wheel and Quinn slowly relaxed under her grasp.

"I'm so sorry for what I've done to you."

Rachel blinked at her, slightly surprised by the apology. Towards the end of their senior year, she felt that they'd come to a sort of silent understanding that left the past where it belonged: in the past. Quinn's eyes closed and it seemed as if she were trying her hardest not to cry; her jaw clenched and her chin tilted up in an angle that made Rachel once again take issue with just how troublesome Quinn's neck was being.

A pregnant pause followed and Rachel very slowly released her grip on Quinn's hand, folding them in her lap as she always did when she was unsure of something.

"I haven't thought about it in a long time. I haven't- when I think about the past, it's not how I remember you." She told her, twisting the hem of her mesh sweater as she admitted as much.

"All of the bullying, it-it-" Rachel sighed dramatically, her hands motioning in the air as if she were trying to find the right words to say.

"It made me resilient and it sounds sick but I don't think I could have managed half of the critique they gave me in New York without it. I just thought about how no one wanted me to make it-"

"Rachel, everyone in Lima KNEW you were going to make it- it's why we tortured you." Quinn interjected, sounding almost annoyed with her attempt at excusing her past behavior.

Not one to back down, Rachel narrowed her eyes and found herself irritated with the fact that she couldn't put her hands on her hips.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Quinn. All of the slushies and the name calling…it just made me work harder. Furthermore, I was just as willing to throw people to the wolves my ridiculous plight to be popular. I mean, I sent a girl to a crack house in order to push her out of the spotlight! Which by the way, I will deny in any future interview I give."

She stopped for a moment, catching her breath in order to finish by saying "I'm not proud of my attitude either but we're all adults now and you're definitely not the villain they'll cast in the future bio-pic about my legendary rise to stardom."

She said the last part so seriously that Quinn almost stopped herself mid smile, a little afraid that Rachel would find it mocking. They stared at one another for a while and it seemed as if Quinn wanted to say more before a rather obnoxious honk interrupted them, causing them both to flinch in surprise.

"We should probably get off the road." Rachel suggested, glad to accept the chuckle that escaped her car-mate.

Quinn put on her hazard lights and veered off to the side of the road, surprising Rachel as she hissed a few choice curse words under her breath as she did so. Curious to see what was the matter, she peered through the back window, squinting to see that the truck that they'd blocked earlier had pulled over alongside them. Instantly, she began to fret that a police officer had pulled them over and visions of "the big house" nearly made her hyperventilate.

"He knows this is Fran's car, he worked on it yesterday." Quinn grumbled as if it were plain as day what the problem is.

"He worked on - He who?" Rachel asked, turning and squinting through the back car window to see what was the matter.

The truck turned off it's lights and it was then that she could see past the glare to the darkened but visible driver behind them. The brunette instantly wished it was a police officer.

"Shit."

Rachel shot back down into her seat, covering her face with her hands and muffling a groan as she did so.

It was these type of coincidences that made her sing New York's praises; at the end of the day, you could avoid running into someone in New York City - not so much in Lima.

Quinn reached over and practically slammed the palm of her hand onto the volume button, successfully turning off the next song on the CD. It was the sudden sound that made Rachel sit up straight and stop fussing with herself. Her mind was still reeling from the conversation she had with Quinn a minute ago and the realization that she had held onto her hand made her heart race. She wasn't sure what got her nerves spinning more: the fact that she'd be face to face with her "ex-fiance" after two years or that she held onto Quinn Fabray's hand and Quinn Fabray allowed it.

"If Santana were here, she'd tell me to floor it once he gets to the car window."

Quinn told her turning to her with a slightly mischevious gleam in her eye. Rachel ducked her head as she giggled, covering her mouth as Quinn playfully waggled her eyebrows in response to her laugh. She'd never seen this side of the girl next to her and it was refreshing to say the least.

"Do it." Rachel whispered to her, her heart pounding as Quinn licked her lips.

"You're serious?" Quinn asked her, her foot tapping onto the gas and revving the engine just a tad.

The sound of the engine mixed with the deliriously sexy smirk on Quinn's face caused a shiver to run up her back.

"I think so." Rachel told her, biting her lip once more.

It was mean, there was no doubt about it, but she hadn't said anything when he broke off their engagement for another woman. She didn't say anything when he decided to join the military without saying a word to her after graduation. Finn had the nerve to invite her to his fucking wedding, she reasoned with herself. The argument to stay was a hard one to sell when the hand she'd just held was now running her fingernails over the gearshift in a way that should be illegal. The combination of Quinn's eyes and fingernails made it impossible to breathe properly.

"Rachel Berry, you are…" Quinn glanced at the side view mirror before looking over at Rachel once more.

She could see the familiar tall figure nearing the car bumper and Rachel felt her stomach clench. It wasn't because she had any feeling left for the boy that was walking towards them but because she didn't want to share this moment with Finn. Rachel reached over and grasped her hand, apparently giving Quinn all of the go ahead needed as she caused the tires to squeal horribly before shooting them out onto the dark road. She let out a yell as they took off, barely making out Finn's face before he jumped away from the car in surprise.

"Oh my god!" Rachel shouted through her laughs, her adrenaline pumping as Quinn gripped onto her hand and sped down the street. Rachel found herself almost giddy by the time they slowed down and made their way to a diner she'd never heard of in all her life at a Lima resident.

The pink and green neon made her raise an eyebrow, especially the sad looking attempt at having a revolving neon Saturn that flashed Millie's.

"Trust me - it's not as bad as it looks." Quinn assured her playfully, squeezing her hand before putting the car in park.

It was only then that she realized that she had been holding onto Quinn's hand for the last ten minutes.

* * *

"Do you think if we stare at her long enough she'll realize we exist?" Kurt asked loudly, watching her with an semi-amused grin as Rachel hummed to herself while staring at the organic sheets and "Sheets-n-Things."

"Or maybe it's us that no longer exist… it's all very Sixth Sense." Blaine added playfully, earning himself a loving roll of the eyes from his long time boyfriend.

"The ONLY possible way that we could be ghosts right now is if Rachel killed us and we're haunting her. I am going to die in much nicer clothes and I am not going to be stuck in Lima for an eternity in the afterlife." Kurt told him. Blaine's brow furrowed as he shot the fashionista a rather incredulous look before returning back to his shopping.

"Maybe she's still reeling from her date with Quinn." Blaine said smoothly, being sure to emphasize the word "date" as well as Quinn's name.

"My-my what? I mean - Hi! How long have you two been standing there?" Rachel asked, finally perking up to the conversation. Blaine shot her a dazzling grin that she narrowed her eyes at and Kurt seemed to practically pop up in front of her with a hand on his hip, waiting expectantly.

"I'm so glad you could join us, _speed racer." _Kurt told her, a perfectly manicured nail tapping on the rack next to blinked at them lamely feeling as if gravity were coming back to her after the floating feeling that she'd had since her dinner last night.

_Finn _– she thought, looking at the disapproving narrowed eyes that were staring at her with unwavering annoyance.

"I gather that you spoke with your step-brother." Rachel stated, matching Kurt's stare with an even glare. Rachel had come to terms with the fact that at it's worst, her stint with Quinn the night previous, was simply rude; at it's best, last night could be construed as an odd prank where not everyone was laughing.

"More like had him nearly bite my head off at one in the morning. Now he's all freaked out because not only were his two ex-girlfriend's playing nice in the middle of the night but they apparently peeled out of sight the moment he tried to knock on the window." Kurt told her, his jaw clenching in a manner that told Rachel he obviously didn't think it was funny.

"It wasn't that big of a deal, Kurt." Rachel told him, breezing past him as she feigned interest in a bed skirt for her Dad's.

"Wasn't a big deal?" Kurt asked, his voice going an almost impossible octave higher. Blaine opened his mouth and closed it once more, looking as if he wasn't sure whether or not it was worth it for him to get involved. The bickering between Kurt and Rachel could last for weeks if they let it. It didn't matter that both were being childish, they were too dramatic for their own good.

"Wasn't a big deal?" He repeated, ignoring the look that Blaine shot him in warning.

Rachel let out a slow sigh that she very seriously wished relaxed her.

"What I meant to say, is that it isn't something to get up in arms about. You can tell him that I apologize if it will make things at home easier. Quinn and I were just-"

"What were you doing with her anyway? I mean, we see each other at least once a week back in New York and you've never mentioned talking to Quinn freaking Fabray." Kurt interrupted her, waving an annoyed "shoo" hand gesture to the teenage-faced worker that was craning his neck to see what was going on.

"I never mentioned talking to her because I haven't talked to her since graduation. What are you two doing here?" Rachel asked, her attention on Blaine in an attempt to change the subject.

"We're getting a last minute wedding present for Finn." Blaine offered, earning a nod of understanding.

"Be sure not to get that silk." Rachel advised gently, a small smile on her face as Kurt frowned at the set in Blaine's hands. Her dad's had already sent a toaster oven and were kind enough not to attach her name to the card even though she told them which one to purchase.

"Only neanderthal's sleep on anything else." He claimed dramatically, earning a wide grin from the aspiring Broadway star.

"Silk sheets make Finn think about horror shows where the ghost slips under the covers and attacks them. Something about watching a scary movie with his cousin when he was younger…"

There was an awkward silence as Blaine reached over and squeezed her arm before leaving to return the sheets to it's rightful spot. She and Kurt stood, staring at one another for a moment before Kurt sighed and dropped his glare.

"You don't still…" He trailed off, his lip curling in apparent discomfort as he thought of Rachel still pining over the ex-football player. Rachel smiled and shook her head.

"Of course not, I would have made that known by now." She told him, getting a well earned snort of agreement in return. Kurt could be a downright ass to deal with but he knew her and understood her better than most.

"I just… it isn't easy for me to watch him get married after…our history…" She barely got the sentence out, as if the words didn't want to be admitted out loud and she saw Kurt looking at her thoughtfully rather than judgingly.

"At one point, I thought that it would be me who was going to be your stepsister-in-law." Rachel finished, not letting herself say anything further on the subject. She was genuinely thankful when Kurt pulled her into a friendly sort of hug. She knew that he wasn't going to let it go, he was too nosy for that, but right now, he wasn't going to push the subject of Quinn and last night any further.

"You would have been THE biggest bridezilla EVER." He ribbed, earning a gentle elbow to his side.

"I'm sure that's a crown you can keep." Rachel shot back playfully.

They were beginning to round the corner when very unexpectedly, the worker that had been interested in their conversation crashed into them with a pulley stacked with boxes. Rachel felt as if she were watching herself fall in slow motion as she instinctively reached out to grab hold of something. It was painful as she landed on her hip awkwardly.

A groan passed through her lips and it was almost instantly that she was aware of the possible repercussions of falling down in her state. She was, however, barely aware of the fact that Kurt was successfully causing the boy to cower even though he could easily knock him out.

Rachel's hands shot to her stomach, thinking about all of the horror stories you heard about women who fall when they're pregnant. She suddenly felt like vomiting again. She hadn't even admitted to herself that she was pregnant, let alone told another living breathing soul about it. Was she supposed to go to the hospital? Was the baby okay?

_Oh god…oh god…_ she continued to think as she sat up.

"Rachel…" Blaine said very carefully, ignoring the screaming match Kurt was getting into with the manager.

Rachel looked up at him and the rolling sensation pulsed through her once more. He was staring at her with wide eyes - wide eyes that seemed to understand all too quickly what the problem was.

"Jesse…"

Rachel wasn't sure if it was the name that made her go green in the face or if it was the fact that Blaine had been suspicious of such incident happening. Blaine ran a nervous hand through his hair as he and Rachel stared at each other like a a pair of deer caught in the headlights. Would the baby be hurt because she fell? Could she have lost it because of one little slip? It was as if they were both thinking the same exact things as Blaine looked a little sick himself. She wanted to cry as the worries she had been carrying for the past two months began to bombard her, making her feel completely and utterly useless.

_How does he know? Oh god, who else knows..._

I'm in over my head...

She admitted to herself, her eyes starting to water. Her ankle was an annoyed dark shade of red where the "L" shaped cart had rammed into her but she couldn't find it in her to remove her hands from her belly.

"Oh my god, Rachel…"

She closed her eyes, praying to anyone that would listen that Kurt didn't start screaming at her while she sat stupidly on the floor of Sheets-n-Things.

"You moron! She's a performer! Her ankle is going to swell up!" Kurt yelled, now red-faced with both the manager and the worker.

Blaine seemed to breathe the same sigh of relief as he very gingerly helped Rachel up to her feet. She wanted to duck her head in shame at the look of utter disbelief on his features.

"I think we should get her ankle checked out, it's pretty bad." Blaine announced.

"I don't need another lawsuit!" The manager practically cried as Rachel wrapped her arm around Blaine's neck.

She flinched when he wrapped his arm around her waist, suddenly very aware of the fact that he knew. She didn't say anything as Blaine walked her out and she handed him the keys to her dad's car. Kurt had been able to stop waving his diva flag for just a minute as he told Blaine he'd meet up with them afterward.

It was almost at the exact instant that they turned the corner that Rachel started to cry real, honest to goodness tears that hadn't dropped since Finn had sent her that invitation. A hand covered her mouth as a sob broke through and she could have kissed Blaine for not saying a single word during what felt like the greatest breakdown in Lima history.

They were driving for ten minutes before Rachel calmed herself down just enough to ask him where they were going.

"My dad's best friend is one of the OB-GYN's in town. It's where I'm going to take you."

"How-how…" She stuttered, her sobbing making her unable to get through that particular question.

"I- I talked to Aidan –" Rachel felt herself sinking into her chair feeling silly as she realized of course Aidan (her old New York roommate) and Blaine talked, they were best friends.

"He said he found a receipt for ten emergency pregnancy tests in the sides of the couch at the apartment a few days ago...when he started moving his things out." Blaine told her gently, in his calm and always non-judgmental tone that made her want to cry even more.

"Oh god, does Kurt know? Shit, does FINN?" Rachel nearly yelled as she realized that it was only natural for Blaine to voice his concerns to his partner of nearly six years.

"No! I didn't - I wouldn't-" Blaine assured her, glancing quickly between traffic and Rachel. "I was going to talk to you before we left for Lima but I didn't have a chance to without Kurt being around."

Rachel closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the car's headrest. She was easing out of her cries and would have smiled at the fact that Blaine handed her an honest-to-god handkerchief that solidified his status as "the only gentleman from Lima." Blindly reaching out, she was glad for the hand that grasped hers, feeling as if she truly had a friend in her corner.

* * *

There were a few odd looks as Blaine ushered her into the doctor's office. Rachel ducked her head as the nurse pushed her through to a room and Blaine quickly explained to the woman he apparently knew what had happened.

A sonogram and a lengthy discussion later and the doctor explained to her that she and the baby would be fine, that she hadn't done any damage other than that to her now bruised ankle. It wasn't the first time Rachel saw the tiny kidney bean sized blip that served as the little one growing inside her but it made Blaine grip her hand tightly and she found comfort in the fact that he was there and she wasn't alone this time.

The ball of nerves that seemed to be twisting and turning in her finally mellowed as the doctor eased her worries. He seemed like a nice enough man, one that didn't appear to judge the fact that she was very young. After assuring her that she was alright and that she would need to take it easy from now on, she felt as if she could finally breathe freely.

Blaine walked out with the doctor, thanking him for seeing his friend and Rachel nearly laughed as Blaine answered a strong "No" at the question of whether or not he was the father of the little kidney bean. Rachel fixed herself in the mirror, her face red and puffy from her obvious bout of crying earlier. She winced as she tested her weight out on her ankle, finally feeling the uncomfortable pain that accompanied the bruise.

She sighed as she fixed up her appearance. _This is as good as it's going to get today, _she thought, resigning to the fact that she felt bloated and sore and all around too exhausted to make much more of an effort.

_Even Barbra has bad hair days_, she reasoned.

She began walking out, glancing outside the room to see that Blaine must have walked off.

"He went over to grab your sonogram printout, dearie." The passing nurse told her kindly, a smile on her face as she passed.

"Rachel?"

The voice made her stop in her tracks and her shoulders tensed in a way that she was sure her ballet teacher would scream at her for.

"Rachel." It wasn't a question this time.

She closed her eyes, trying to remind herself that she had just finished crying and was attempting to leave the doctor's office with at least a small amount of dignity. She could smell the light touch of cucumber melon as it floated in the air around her. An almost electric hum ran over her skin as she felt fingertips touch her elbow. Rachel opened her eyes, turning around slowly to see a confused and slightly alarmed Quinn Fabray staring at her.

A VERY pregnant auburn haired woman waddled out of the room for a second, her brow furrowing as she looked over at the pair of girls.

"Hey Quinnie, I found the keys in my purse." She announced, glancing between the look of shock on Quinn's face and the puffy near-to-crying look that Rachel felt she'd been wearing for the past hour.

"Thanks, Fran, I'll be there in a second." Quinn told her without so much as a glance back in her direction. She kept her eyes on Rachel, looking down at her stomach for a moment for back up again.

Her older sister seemed to take the hint gracefully and with a pitying sort of smile, she made her exit back into her room. It would figure that of the two OB-GYN's in Lima, Ohio, Quinn's sister would go to the one she had no intention of visiting on her trip home. If this had been a play, Rachel was sure she would have enjoyed seeing today play out on stage. Instead, it was real life and real life had pain and embarrassment that she wasn't sure she could handle.

"You're pregnant."

Again, it was said in a way that let her know it wasn't a question. Rachel sighed, squaring her shoulders and raising her chin to look Quinn in the eye.

"Yes, Quinn, I am."

* * *

A/N - I hope you enjoyed that. Please be on the lookout for the next chapter coming out soon and please review so that I may continue to better my writing. Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Please enjoy the third chapter of "Where Soul Meets Body."

* * *

The bedroom around her was in one word: Strange.

It wasn't because of any particular object that she could pinpoint as odd. By all accounts, it was a lovely room. There were pictures of her at Yale, singing on stage in what looked like choir robes, neatly framed by the bedside. A sorority sweater was perfectly draped across the vanity chair and one would think that Quinn still lived at home with the amount of clothes left in the closet. There was a door off to the side to what appeared to be a private bathroom. A fully stocked bookcase took over an entire wall and a pearl colored desk sat in front of a large picture window overlooking the expansive but perfectly kept lawn.

It was like stepping into what a "Stepford Daughter" would have for a room.

She sat on the soft reading chair near Quinn's bed and just took it all in, trying to recuperate after the events of the past few hours.

"I brought you a glass of water." Quinn told her, stepping back and covering the glass with her hand quickly as Rachel nearly jumped out of her own skin. Rachel put her hands over her face for a moment, calming down her nerves before letting out a loud breath.

"I'm sorry." Rachel told her, her voice unusually raspy.

The moment she'd told Quinn that she was pregnant, the blond seemed undoubtedly unnerved but was concerned enough to leave her curious sister with her very confused looking brother-in-law and drive her away from the doctor's office. Rachel didn't want to think about what Blaine said to Kurt after they dropped him off at the Hummel's. She only thanked whatever higher power there was that Finn hadn't been home when they did. Deciding not to deal with Kurt just yet, especially not with Quinn around, she put her phone on silent after getting a quick 'ok' message from her dad after telling him that she was watching movies with her friend from the night before.

Rachel knew she couldn't ask Blaine to keep it from Kurt. She knew her high school classmate well enough to know that it would be the cause of a grand fight when everything eventually came out and she wasn't going to be responsible for causing a rift between them. Silently, Rachel admitted to herself that she was really in no position to start losing friends.

Quinn hadn't said anything when she drove Rachel back to her childhood home; it made Rachel glad not to ask to take her anywhere but her dads' house. She would have probably gone to Sue Sylvester's if it meant not having to talk to her dads at the moment. Just the idea of even the slightest disappointment on their faces was enough to make Rachel cringe.

Rachel reached out to grab the glass but was sure not to touch Quinn as she did it. There was no explanation for it but she just didn't feel right touching the woman now that she was aware of her current situation.

The Yale graduate sat on the bed next to her, curling her legs under her as she eyed Rachel carefully. She was sure if it was that Quinn hadn't demanded to know more - or simply that she just wanted to tell someone after holding in the secret for so long - but she had the urge to explain herself.

"It's Jesse's - Jesse St. James." Rachel said softly, taking a gulp of water and wishing it was any sort of hard liquor at that moment.

She glanced up to see that Quinn had pursed her lips at the admission but was still just watching Rachel, revealing nothing of the mystery behind her hazel eyes.

"About two months ago I went with my roommate Aidan to New York's show choir regional's. He was helping out with one of the nearby school's and I was feeling nostalgic…" Rachel trailed off, feeling even more tired if it was entirely possible.

"It wasn't until they won that I actually realized it was Jesse. We hadn't kept in touch, I hadn't even seen him since Nationals, but I heard he moved to New York the year before after he got a few good jobs working as a private vocal coach."

She remembered watching a few of his students slightly cower at the disapproving glare he gave them at the almost non-existent pitch problem and thinking he had turned into a much better looking version of Dakota Stanley. Two months later and she just wished that it had been enough to deter her from even speaking to him.

"I-" Her voice broke in a way that made Quinn's face soften uncharacteristically.

"I was lonely and-and-and I was exhausted from rehearsal! My professor made a comment that night that I had no passion in my performance. No passion? Me? For the stage? I just wanted to relax and the opportunity to just relax for the one night was right there."

Her tears started to fall again but this time even Quinn could see that it was because she was angry.

"He was so arrogant with everyone else that it was fun to wipe that stupid look off of his face when he saw me. It was the first time that I felt in control of what I was doing in so long and I still felt safe because even though Jesse's an ass, he wouldn't dare hurt me if I wanted to back out at the last minute." She was still crying silently as she spoke, sniffling every now and then.

"He asked me out for drinks and when I woke up the next morning I was in his bed."

It sounded so cliché and if it was one thing she hated, it was being cliché – it meant that she wasn't being anything special. She hated thinking about her almost-disastrous "small town and underage" wedding, it made her feel tiny and naïve and stupid. She hated the fact that she allowed herself to get into bed and give Jesse the very thing she'd denied him of in high school. It was a sick sort of full circle that she'd done, now that she allowed herself to really think about it. There was a time in her life when Jesse was going to be her first and now here he was, the father of her unborn.

"I left before he woke up and I haven't had the nerve to look for him since I've found out, let alone tell him." Rachel pulled at the tear stained handkerchief, her fingers inelegantly pulling at what was a lovely stitched B.A. in the corner.

They drank wine and Rachel thought she'd been rather aloof – until the soft melody of "Hello" started around her. She suspected after the fact that when Jesse turned his back to her to play music that he'd made sure the song played before she left. Rachel ducked her head shamefully as she admitted changing her tune to Jesse's advances once she'd been good and wined up, listening to "Hello" and remembering how they sang together on that piano so long ago. She had told herself that fateful morning that she'd only done it because she was buzzed and it wasn't something she was prepared to take blame for.

"I don't even really remember getting to the point of no return. I-" Rachel paused, searching for the words.

"It's all just a blur, you know? I thought- I mean, I know – I saw on the floor – we used protection. I've never felt more idiotic in my entire life, Quinn."

Quinn still said nothing, sitting atop her bed and studying Rachel's face as she admitted such a fact. It was impossible to expect that she wouldn't think of her own familiar situation. It took Quinn a long time to admit to herself that she wasn't drunk during Beth's conception, it took her even longer to admit that she knew afterward that she should have done something immediately after to avoid pregnancy.

"Have you considered…" Quinn trailed off, looking away after watching Rachel's face register the insinuation. Her head shook and her hands gripped onto the small cloth once more.

"No. No! I couldn't possibly...I – I can't…" Rachel found herself standing shakily and was suddenly very happy that she had been surveying the room earlier as she ran through the door that led to Quinn's private bathroom.

She found herself in a position much like the one that she'd been in for the past few weeks, kneeling in front of a toilet until her stomach finally finished it's punishment on her.

Rachel _**had** _thought of the alternative. She had stood across the street from a clinic for two hours, hands in her pockets and head down the entire time. It would take care of the issue and much like her almost teenage marriage, she could act like it never happened. She closed her eyes, leaning against the cool tiled wall next to the toilet. She felt and smelled Quinn before she saw her – felt the smoothness of her leg as she slid down the sink cabinet across from her, smelled the sweet scent of her perfume. Even though she hadn't wanted anyone to touch her earlier, she felt calmed at the contact of skin on skin. While it was heart racing, Rachel was very sure that she smelled of vomit and perspiration – a combination she never wanted Quinn to affiliate her with. It wasn't until she cracked her eye open just a tad that she saw Quinn patiently holding out a pack of mints for her to take.

It took her a few moments of feeling the mint do it's job before she even contemplated speaking. Quinn's knee was between Rachel's bent legs and although it should have been the last thing from her mind, she thought about how it was the first time she could ever remember seeing Quinn in a pair of shorts.

"There was this girl...I stood outside of a clinic for what felt like days and there was a girl about our age standing around nearby. She looked a lot like you did when your hair was that crazy pink color." Rachel said the last part almost airily as if she had lost her train of thought, her eyes skimming over Quinn's golden hair. Quinn's eyes never left the brunette's face as Rachel leaned over and with a steady hand slipped a stray strand of blond hair behind Quinn's ear before leaning back against her side of the bathroom.

"She was smoking and kept purposely blowing smoke near my face, thinking it was funny. After a while I got sick of it and stomped over to her, snapping at her to cut it out because I was pregnant and didn't appreciate it. She just looked at me, I mean, really looked at me and said 'If you're so worried about it, what the hell are you doing here?'" Rachel paused, a bitter laugh that sounded strange from her lips escaped her.

"So, I left and it's the only part of the past two months that I think I actually did the right thing." Rachel's eyes closed again as she thought on the memory privately. When she opened her eyes again, Quinn was staring at her.

"How did you do this in high school? I feel like my life is over…like every single dream I've ever had is dead."

In her mind the lights of the stage were turning off one by one and she could hear the sound of the curtain closing in front of her. Rachel half expected herself to start crying again, her fists balling up for a moment as her desperation slipped into anger.

"I just needed to not feel so alone for one night! What kind of mother could I possibly be anyway? I can't do this, Quinn, I just can't. I'm in over my head."

She pulled her knees up against her chest, feeling cried out at the time where she needed the release the most. What would she be without her dream?

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't heard or felt Quinn move from her spot. It wasn't until she felt the warmth of Quinn's body that she realized the blond was sitting flush against her. Quinn slipped her arm gently around Rachel's shoulders and very lightly pulled her close. It didn't take too long for Rachel to shift over, her face resting against Quinn's collarbone. The Yale graduate wrapped her arms around the petite drama queen with ease and it wasn't awkward at all when Rachel's arm slipped around Quinn's waist, squeezing her into a tight unyielding embrace.

Rachel listened to Quinn breathe and had to stop herself from wanting to hum at the sound. There was something about her, Rachel's mind persisted, something that made her simply musical.

"It doesn't get easier..." Quinn said finally, breaking the silence that had formed between them. Rachel said nothing but squeezed her eyes shut tighter and held onto the woman in her arms. She wondered blankly if she was in Quinn's arms or if Quinn was in hers.

"...but people have done worse things than having a baby before they were ready." She whispered gently.

Rachel swore that Quinn's voice cracked just a little and she didn't dare move as she felt Quinn's face bury into her hair. It made her think of the time she helped Puck clean off his first slushie'd Mohawk and how her heart pounded in her chest as it was the first really intimate thing she'd ever done with anyone. Maybe it was because she hadn't been with someone in a while or maybe it was because Quinn never failed to make her heart beat faster, but if anything in Rachel's life had ever felt intimate before, it paled in comparison to the feeling that grew in her now.

"I missed you, Rachel."

It wasn't until she heard those words that she realized, she had missed her too.

* * *

Rachel blinked awake only to start groaning at the unwelcome burning in her eyes, tossing and turning before hitting the bed tiredly. She reached a pillow to slip between her legs when she sat up quickly, eyes wide as her eyes adjusted to the somewhat dark room. The bedside table housed the picture of Quinn singing in the choir and she found herself taking in the room once more. She cursed quietly as she couldn't tell whether or not hearing Quinn tell her "I missed you" was a dream or not.

_It felt real enough_, Rachel told herself.

Her eyes felt dry and puffy from the amount of crying she'd done and she found herself rubbing them tiredly the same way a child did.

"How do you know each other?"

She froze, hearing the voice coming from down the hall.

"We were in Glee Club together." The tone was flat, the tone she remembered hearing throughout high school. Rachel always thought it sounded like a warning.

"And now she's pregnant?" Rachel slid back down on the bed and wondered if Quinn was speaking to her mother or her sister.

"Yes- is there a point to this Spanish inquisition?" Quinn asked, sounding impatient.

"She's the one you went to see in New York, right? The one you told me about?" The voice was patient and undeterred by Quinn's attitude but that wasn't what made Rachel suck in her breath.

_She came to see me?_

"I saw her perform. We never…met up. I know what you're getting at and I know what I'm doing." Quinn told her, her footsteps sounding much closer than they did earlier.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt, Quinn. If you say you know what you're doing, then fine but… she's _**pregnant**_, Quinn."

Rachel was started to get dizzy, from the fact that she could hardly breathe properly in part of the conversation going on just outside of the door and the realization that Quinn had been there. She had come to New York and watched her _shows _– more than one. For some reason, the feelings of discontent that she'd felt about her performances were shattered at the thought of Quinn being in the audience and all she wanted now was to begin rehearsing again to show her best side to the woman a few feet away from her.

She barely had time to think about the rest of the conversation. Why would someone be warding Quinn off from her? Why would they be afraid of her being hurt? The questions burned through her mind as if they'd been branded into her brain and her need for instant answers was starting to fight her desire to listen in on the remainder of the conversation.

"I'm well aware of what it means to be pregnant, Francine." Quinn snapped, sounding too much like the old Quinn for Rachel's tastes.

The doorknob turned for a moment but stopped as she heard Quinn sigh.

"I didn't mean to say it that way. I just have to… I know what I'm doing, I'm a big girl now." Quinn told her gently. It wasn't the same warm tone she'd used on Rachel in the bathroom but it was definitely the sort that she hadn't heard from Quinn before.

"I know I wasn't there before when you were going through this…" Fran trailed off, sounding ashamed as she spoke.

"Mom and Dad didn't tell you-" Quinn told her quietly, sounding as if it were truly one of the last things she wanted to talk about.

"Well, I should have checked up on you! My little sister had a baby in high school and I didn't find out until she kicked Dad out. Mom and Dad should have told me, yes, but I was so wrapped up in myself that I went without checking up on you. I just want to make that right, Quinn. I want to be there for you now."

She remembered frowning when she found out Quinn was with her sister. She couldn't imagine missing out on something so monumentally important in a family member's life and her sympathy went out to Fran because of it.

Rachel could be forgiving, as evidenced plainly through the fact that most of the friendships she still had from high school were with those that had at some point gone behind her back or teased her at one point. She was forgiving enough that she was the witness at Santana and Brittany's half-baked wedding last year and if there was ever a bully in high school, it was Santana.

Yet, she didn't think she could ever forgive Judy and Russell Fabray for what they had done to Quinn. Even in high school, Rachel was appalled by their treatment of their daughter during her greatest time of need. She may not come from your run of the mill type of family but you certainly didn't throw a sixteen year old to the wolves because she made a mistake. While allowances could be made for Judy – and even then, Rachel still had unkind words for the woman – she just couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that two adults, two parents no less, could be so cruel.

"It went both ways. I was just – back then, I was scared you were going to react the way that they did." Quinn told her, sounding as if she were trying to wrap up the conversation as nicely as possible.

"Well I'm-" Fran began again.

"Her food is going to get cold, Frannie." Quinn said finally, sounding a little amused at something that went on behind the door. It made Rachel frown as she wanted to know what had been said or done to make her sound that way.

"I love you, Little Lulu, you know that right?" Fran told her, sounding as if she were getting choked up. Rachel smiled at the nickname, reminding herself to ask Quinn about it someday.

"I love you too but you're getting hormonal again. Go…take care of your husband or something." Quinn told her. Judging by the laugh she got in return, the seriousness of the conversation was beginning to fade into the background and it gave Rachel the opportunity to make her presence known. There was no need to let Quinn know that she'd been eavesdropping.

She got up quietly, reaching over and turning on the bedside light, quickly doing it's job of quieting the women outside. There had been mention of food and Rachel suddenly had the urge to eat anything in front of her. She rubbed her eyes once more, yawning just as Quinn opened the door, a wooden tray being masterfully balanced on one arm.

She had no idea where the thought came from but Rachel suddenly found herself thinking of breakfast in bed with the girl in front of her.

"You're awake." Quinn said lamely, her eyes a little wide.

Rachel used whatever acting talent she possessed to seem as tired and nonchalant as possible, especially as Quinn looked acutely aware of the possibility that Rachel had heard everything.

"I didn't realize I had fallen asleep on your bed." Rachel told her sheepishly, hoping to deter her from asking any questions as Rachel wouldn't lie to her if she did.

"You didn't but I don't make it a habit of letting people sleep on my bathroom floor." Quinn told her after a pause, seeming to shake off her worry momentarily. She set down the tray of food, nearly derailing Rachel as she looked up at her quizzically.

"You didn't – you didn't carry me, did you?" Rachel asked her skeptically, eyeing Quinn's arms rather openly before seeing the genuinely entertained grin on the woman's face.

"With one arm." She replied sarcastically, earning a huff from the brunette.

"When I realized you fell asleep, I told you that you could move over to my bed." The statement was innocent enough -and it was true that many times Rachel woke up in her room when she knew she fell asleep on the couch - but the way she repeated the invitation to her bed made Rachel grow warm in the face. The conversation steered awkward as the two both seemed unsure of what to do or say next.

"Here, it's nothing special but it's food and I don't know if you've eaten all day."

Quinn pushed the tray towards her, and Rachel's stomach seemed to growl on cue causing the woman in front of her to laugh a little. Rachel grabbed the fork and in a moment, she was tasting the most delicious pancake she'd ever had in her life. She closed her eyes, giving a small appreciative moan as she savored the taste. Upon opening her eyes she took in Quinn's intense and open stare at her lips, making her feel powerful and ridiculously sensual in a way she'd never felt with anyone before.

"This is amazing, Quinn, it's exactly what I wanted." She found herself downing the next few pieces happily, feeling energized while Quinn now seemed amused.

"I get can you some milk if you want." She told her, a playful tone in her voice. Rachel shook her head, popping another piece in her mouth. She let out another delighted moan at the taste and bobbed her head side to side in a burst of new energy.

"I'm a vegan." Rachel informed her.

"Oh...OH…stop eating!" Quinn told her, pulling the tray away as if it were going to burn the brunette in front of her.

Rachel stopping chewing instantly, a frown on her face as she realized that by Quinn's reaction - and the current look of guilt on her face - that the food in her mouth was not vegan friendly.

"It tastes so good!" Rachel whined finally, swallowing the last piece as she stared at the still warm plate in front of her.

"I'm sorry. If I had known, I wouldn't have made it." Quinn told her, her eyebrows raising in surprise as Rachel's wide eyes looked in her direction.

"You made that? It was delicious, really…" She looked at the plate again and for the first time since her freshman year in high school felt like she could go back on her vow of veganism.

"Really delicious." She whined, now earning a roll of the eyes as she stared longingly at the plate in front of her.

"I guess I should have known, I mean, you did only eat fruits at the diner last night." Quinn teased lightly, deciding to cut herself a piece of the leftover pancake. Rachel watch longingly as she did only to feel the want for food turn into a want to lick the syrup off of her lips. When Quinn simply raised an eyebrow at the look on Rachel's face, Rachel wondered if she was staring the same way that she'd caught the blond woman earlier.

"We can get you something else. I'm sure you're still hungry, eating for two…"

The comment seemed to hang in the air and Quinn sighed loudly with a slow close of her eyes, seeming to regret her choice of words. Rachel ducked her head, wishing that she could change the subject to something lighter but knowing that the conversation had sobered into serious ground.

"I should go." Rachel said softly, not looking at Quinn as she began to slip her feet out of the covers and slowly get off of the bed.

She could feel Quinn's eyes on her as she smoothed out her clothes, not wanting to leave but not wanting to start another three hour cry in front of her. It seemed so strange to be so open and comfortable with the woman in front of her especially after four years with absolutely no contact and even then, they'd never been friends. The part of her that told her not to get attached to Quinn – not only because of who she was but because this was a temporary trip for both of them – was starting to chip away at the part of her that wanted solely to be wrapped up in her arms again. The little voice in her head that wanted to know what the conversation she had overheard was about seemed to be the only fighting chance for her not to run out of the room in sheer panic.

"I didn't mean to upset you." Quinn told her gently, taking in her sudden change of mood in stride.

Rachel had to close her eyes as Quinn passed her on her way out the door, the scent of Quinn overwhelming her senses as it seemed to do often.

As they walked in silence, Rachel wondered how they'd gone through the huge home without running into a single person on their way in or out. How could anyone stand to live in such a quiet home? She had the pleasure of always being around noise growing up, whether it was her dads banter or a musical playing in the background, there was always proof that the home was being lived in. The "Fabray Residence" lived up to the term, seeming to be a place were people merely resided, not lived. Rachel took in the pictures on the wall, the polished yet cold look of the fancy decorative pieces and could imagine that it would be stifling to live in a house so perfect all the time. She wondered suddenly if that was what it was like for Quinn to grow up there.

They made their way to the car parked just outside the garage door and although Rachel had been ready to bolt not more than a few minutes ago, she didn't want to let go just yet. She leaned on the hood of the car, taking in Quinn as she leaned against the garage door. She wore a pair of modestly cut rose colored denim shorts, a white sleeveless camisole tucked in at the waist. Rachel couldn't remember her wearing anything revealing her legs as much unless she was wearing her Cherrio's uniform. For the first time that afternoon, she truly saw how grown up and undeniably sexy she'd became.

"Thank you, for today." Rachel told her honestly, steering her thoughts away from Quinn's legs. She earned a silent nod in return and for a moment feared that she had offended the woman in front of her with her swift exit from the room.

"You didn't upset me. Earlier you said you didn't mean to upset me and you didn't - I just can't talk about _that _anymore tonight." Rachel explained, suddenly feeling self conscious as she earned another mute nod.

"When do you leave?" She asked, hoping to pull any sort of speech from her former classmate.

"After the baby is born, Fran's due date was two days ago." She replied calmly, being enigmatic to the point where Rachel wanted to stomp her feet childishly.

"Would you like to meet up again?" Rachel asked finally – hopefully, really - her heart pounding as if she were on stage rather than sitting on her father's car. Quinn raised her brow at the question, pursing her lips as she seemed to be mulling it over. When she didn't answer immediately, Rachel shot up from her position and pushed her shoulders back, her head high. Perhaps she had been therapist free for too long, she thought dramatically, wanting nothing more than to eat junk food and watch Funny Girl in the safety of her star covered bedroom. She began making her way to the car door when Quinn finally spoke.

"I wanted to see you again."

The admission made her freeze, her hand on the door handle was stilled. She was suddenly afraid that the reason she'd said "wanted" rather than "want" was because of the fact that she'd found out about her pregnancy.

"When my sister said that she help getting back to Lima, I thought about trying to see you."

Her mouth opened just a bit in shock as Quinn continued, whipping her head in the blonde's direction to see that Quinn was now the one unable to look at her. She found herself truly stunned at how strangely bashful the woman appeared before her.

"You saw my plays, why didn't you see me then?" Rachel asked her without thinking, watching as Quinn closed her eyes again, shaking her head. She dropped her hand from the car door, her hands playing with the hem of her shirt nervously as she worried about whether or not Quinn would be angry with her for eavesdropping.

"So you were listening…" Quinn accused lightly, her eyes slightly narrowed as she opened them again.

Rachel gathered by her response and the lack of anger in her tone that Quinn had already figured that she had listened in. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief at the fact that she hadn't received a good ol' Quinn Fabray verbal lashing – she remembered them well, having received them so many times in the past.

"I didn't mean to, I had just woken up when I heard your sister talking to you." Rachel told her honestly, watching as Quinn smoothed back wisps of hair away from her face.

"I went to your performances." Quinn confirmed quietly, her jaw clenching just a tad as she did so.

It was obvious that although she hadn't gotten upset over Rachel overhearing the conversation she had with her sister, it didn't change the fact that she didn't want Rachel to know those things about her, at least not yet. To keep herself from running around screaming, Rachel had to find some dry sense of comfort in the fact that they'd both stumbled on each other's secrets within the past 24 hours.

"Which ones?" Rachel asked her, not hiding the earnest in her tone as she wanted to soak in the new information.

Quinn went quiet again and although Rachel knew somewhere in the back of her mind that she shouldn't get frustrated, she couldn't help it.

"I think I have a right to know what you saw and how you felt about it, Quinn. From a purely critical standpoint at the very least, I mean, it is my craft that we're talking about. An artist should always be prepared to accept criticism in order to apply it to future-" She began rambling, tumbling into a lecture on how Quinn could improve her acting if she would be open and honest with her when Quinn stopped her short.

"There cannot be a pinch in death more sharp than this."

Rachel sucked in a breath, completely taken by surprise. It was from Cymbeline, a Shakespearian play she had been cast second fiddle until the girl who played Imogen got unbelievably drunk in a failed attempt to calm her nerves before opening night. She remembered calling her dad's to get to New York to watch her very first New York performance as the lead and how Kurt screamed happily for her as she told it to him. She remembered feeling as if nothing had been real before she walked out under the stage lights.

_Quinn was there_, she realized. Quinn had been there for what she considered the greatest moment of her young life.

"I didn't realize it was you at first. I was on a date with…" She trailed off and Rachel wondered if the pink tinge on her face was from thinking about her date or from bring put on the spot.

"…we had been arguing the entire way there and during the beginning of the play. Then all of the sudden, there you were, floating on stage in front of me. I didn't even realize that my date had left until it was over…I was taken by surprise, to say the least."

Her mind seemed to be racing against the speed her heart was beating. The fact that the woman next to her had not only attended THE most pivotal performance in her life was trumped only by the fact that she had been so entranced by it. If it weren't for the fact that she thought she might embarrass herself, Rachel was sure that she would have a rather ridiculous smile on her face. She wanted to ask what others she had attended and why she never came to see her when they finished instead she found herself wanting to ask one question over them all.

"Did you like it? That first show?"

"Rachel…" Quinn told her, the tone in her voice sounding as if she were saying 'don't push it.' Rachel opened her mouth and closed it, wanting to say something but suddenly feeling dread that she hadn't been as impressive as she would have hoped she'd been. Seeing her reaction, Quinn let out another long breath before answering.

"Rachel... you…"

She looked up, her dark brown eyes meeting Quinn's hazel ones as she broke off from what she intended to say. Quinn pushed off the garage door and slowly but confidently walked over to her at the side of the car. Rachel stood very still as Quinn's eyes surveyed her face. It as if she were trying to make sense of something before landing back at her eyes once more. Rachel shivered as Quinn's finger tips grazed the side of her cheekbone, slowly pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. They were close, the hem of Rachel's skirt touched Quinn's thighs and the gap was being shortened as Quinn's hand remained barely there against her cheek.

"You blew me away."

Rachel didn't dare move, the only thing she was certain of was that her knees were going to bring her to the floor for the second time that day. Quinn leaned forward and Rachel closed her eyes as she felt a warm breath on her face. She didn't know whether to moan or to cry out angrily when Quinn didn't kiss her as she thought she would. Instead, Quinn leaned her temple against Rachel's, both hands cupping her face delicately. Unsure hands found their way to the curve of Quinn's waist and Rachel wasn't sure if she were breathing hard or not at all.

"You blow me away, Rachel."

* * *

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed that. Please review so that I can better my writing! Please visit my profile as I do have a few more author's notes on this chapter that I would like to share with my readers. Thank you for reading.


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